MLK Celebration 2009

19th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebratory Events
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"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One in 100: Dismantling a Prison Nation

One in 100: Dismantling a Prison Nation, will highlight King's struggle to create a beloved community where social, political, and economic justice are more the norm than the exception. This year's theme centers on the conclusion of a 2008 PEW Report that revealed the sobering results of the steady growth of America's prison industrial complex, a system that has more than one in every 100 adults confined behind bars. UC Berkeley Prof. and internationally known civil rights activist Angela Davis, will deliver the keynote address.

 

 

 

Schedule of Events


2009 Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest

Deadline is January 20, 2009, 12:00pm. The first place essay will receive a $300 monetary reward!

We invite interested undergraduate students to submit well-written, analytical essays as part of the Annual MLK Celebration. Essay contest participants will write a 2-3 page essay responding to the same question that serves as the title of Angela Davis' recent book, "Are Prisons Obsolete?" as a way of addressing the controversial issues surrounding prison proliferation in the United States. Submissions representing all perspectives are welcome. Students are encouraged to utilize both Angela Davis' book and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" as reference texts for their writing.

More information »



Photo Art Exhibit

Thu, 01/22/2009 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
MUB Strafford Room

"There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate."
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Prison Nation: Unlocking the Stories
This photo exhibit, A Prison Nation: Unlocking the Stories, will feature the work of students from Chester College, The University of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and will consider the impact and effects of imprisonment from different angles and that of the people who are in or have been in the prison system. The exhibit will not only provide a glimpse at the overlaying problems associated with this growth in incarceration rates but will present some of the faces, voices, and stories behind that number.

More Information »



2007 spirituality celebration

Spiritual Celebration

Sun, 01/25/2009 - 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Durham Community Church, Main Street, Durham

Breaking the Ties that Bind: A Spiritual Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The University of New Hampshire's inter-faith spiritual celebration affirms supports and highlights the spiritual foundation that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brought to his work and life. This interactive celebration pays homage to persons from diverse religions and identities who believe in the power vested in humankind to challenge physical, spiritual and psychological bondage, and free us from our figurative and literal prisons in ways that are hopeful, healing and restorative. This is a spirited gathering presenting powerful messages through song, spoken word, music, poetry and reflection, with special musical guests "Rock My Soul" gospel choir. The service will culminate with candle lighting in remembrance of those who have taken action and in announcement of pledges of action. All are welcome!



UNH Celebrity Series Concert: Sweet Honey in the Rock

Mon, 01/26/2009 - 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Johnson Theatre, Paul Creative Arts Center.

"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." Psalms 18:16

Sweet Honey in the Rock is a Grammy Award winning all female cappella vocal ensemble committed to creating music out of the rich textures of the African American legacy and tradition. Sweet Honey was formed by Bernice Johnson Reagon in 1973 at the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company. Reagon's music displays flavors of blues, spirituals, gospel, reggae, African chants, hip-hop, ancient lullabies and jazz improvisation. The groups repertoire speaks from the music of the black church, the calls of the civil rights movement, and songs of the struggle for justice everywhere. The name Sweet Honey in the Rock, comes from Psalm 81.16, which describes the promise to a people to be fed by the honey from a rock. The group, which comprises five singers and one sign-language interpreter, tours the world singing songs of hope, love, justice, peace and resistance. Please visit the UNH Celebrity Series to purchase tickets for this event or call 603-862-2290.

More information »



Conversation With Angela Davis: Hosted by Laura Knoy

Thu, 01/29/2009 - 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Strafford Room, MUB

Laura Knoy host of the award-winning New Hampshire Public Radio show, "The Exchange", will conduct a critical conversation with Civil Rights activist Angela Davis on decades of leadership as an activist and scholar. The conversation focuses especially on Davis' work to shift national strategies from punitive to restorative justice. The audience is invited to submit questions to join in the conversation.

Laura Knoy, a veteran of public radio, began her broadcast career with National Public Radio in Washington before coming to New Hampshire Public Radio in 1995 to host "The Exchange", New Hampshire's only locally produced statewide radio call-in program. Since its debut, The Exchange has been facilitating the discussion of issues and ideas that shape life in northern New England as well as connecting listeners with their elected officials. Through its twelve years, The Exchange has won numerous awards both in New Hampshire and nationally. Ms Knoy is nationally recognized for her ability to probe the great issues facing our nation through her interviews of people from all walks of life and is also known as the host for the popular series "Writers on a New England Stage", at the Portsmouth Music Hall.
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Annual MLK Commemorative Address

Thu, 01/29/2009 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm
PCAC Johnson Theatre

Education or Incarceration: The Future of Democracy
Angela Davis, an icon of the radical political activism of the late 1960's and early '70s, may have tamed her trademark Afro but her ideas remain on the radical edge of the political spectrum. In her address, she will express her concerns about our government's general tendency to devote more resources and attention to the prison system rather than to educational institutions. Davis will discuss the sobering facts about the proliferation of prisons and the disproportionate incarceration of minorities. 

 

PROGRAM
Musical Prelude

Opening Performance
Musicians--Professor Dennis Briton, James Kaddy  &  Rev. Jeffrey McElwain
Vocalists—Olga Tines, Khristie Dyson, Denise Richardson, Sandi Clarke & Mimi McCarthy

Welcome -- Radar Onguetou
University Welcome --UNH President, Mark Huddleston
Speakers Introduction--Radar Onguetou
Commemorative Address--keynote speaker, Angela Davis
Performance --Prof. Reginald A. Wilburn
Closing Remarks --Radar Onguetou
Musical Finale

Books by Angela Davis »

Videos with Angela Davis:

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2008 Social Justice Award winners

Social Justice Awards

Fri, 01/30/2009 - 7:00pm - 8:00pm
UNH Alumni Center

"I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever but to be a part of an ongoing historical movement" Angela Davis

The UNH Diversity Team, in partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. Celebration Committee, will honor UNH community members who have demonstrated excellence and integrity with respect to advancing social justice issues within our community and beyond. Each year, faculty,staff and students are recognized for their roles in providing outstanding leadership, courage and role modeling in promoting social justice issues as diversity, equity and human rights.

More information about the 2009 Award Recipients »



Educational Panel

Thu, 02/05/2009 - 12:40pm - 2:30pm
DeMerritt Hall, Room 112

Are Prisons Obsolete? Exploring the Growing Prison Nation in New Hampshire.
Angela Davis, while advocating for a shift from punitive to restorative justice in the way our criminal system addresses crime, asks the question, Are Prisons Obsolete? Through productive conversations with a prison warden, a social worker, legal professionals, and academic scholars, audience members will have a chance to examine the social, economic and political implications of answering YES. This event is co-sponsored by Diversity Initiatives and Discovery Program,"The Growing Divide: A University Dialogue on Poverty and Opportunity".

Readings for the educational panel:

  1. Sudbury, Women of Color, Globalization, and the Politics of Incarceration
  2. Angela Y. Davis, Abolitionist Alternatives, Are Prisons Obsolete? (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2003)  Chapter 6
  3. An interview with Angela Davis, Attacking the "Prison Industrial Complex", Time Media Transcripts
  4. The 2008 Pew Report One in One Hundred

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MLK Events Sponsored By:

Admissions, Affirmative Action & Equity Office, Center For Academic Resources, College of Liberal Arts, Community Church of Durham, Counseling Center, Discovery Program, Diversity Support Coalition,  Health Services, Inclusive Excellence Initiatives, Memorial Union Building, Office of Multicultural Student Association (OMSA), Office of the President, President's Commissions, Provost Office, Residential Life, University Programs and Events, UNH Police Department, UNH Chaplain's Association, United Campus Ministry to UNH, Waysmeet

 

Wheelchair logo All events are wheelchair-accessible.
For more information: TTY users: call NH Relay 7-1-1 or 1-800-735-2964.